While talking with the poison control center about Adam's "gummy vitamin feast", the woman seemed very concerned as to whether or not the vitamins contained iron. I didn't asked her what would have happened had they contained iron, but I have since researched the answer to that question.
What I found has mortified me and made me realize how blessed we are that there was no iron in these vitamin "candies". I now know why she was so concerned about the iron. This is what I found:
"Accidental iron overdose is a leading cause of poisoning deaths in children under 6 in the United States. Almost 17 percent of children's deaths reported to the poison control centers during a recent four year span were due to iron poisoning."
"The iron products involved in the poisonings ranged from non-prescription daily vitamin/mineral supplements for children to high-potency iron supplements for pregnant women. In some cases, the iron products were left within the child's reach in uncapped or loosely capped containers. In others, the child managed to open the container, even though in some cases it appeared to be in child-resistant packaging. In some cases, a sibling opened the container."
"The children were poisoned after consuming as few as five iron-containing tablets. Death occurred from ingesting as little as 200 mg of iron."
I personally take iron supplements daily for iron enemia. The tablets are in a child-proof bottle (which doesn't necessarily mean Adam-proof!), but after reading this they have been moved to a much safer location. I had no idea.....
